A Series of Stolen Moments
by PookaSeraph
Summary: A set of fluffy vignettes set over the course of Hermione's years at Hogwarts. SSHG friendship.


A Series of Stolen Moments

A/N: This is the first in a series of fluffy pieces I'm planning to write. There is no grand plot planned just whatever moments I feel like writing. It a story of SS/HG friendship. They'll be mostly chronologicall. Hope you enjoy them.

1: Polyjuice

Hospital Wing, January 6, 1993, Hermione's second year 

Hermione sat in the hospital wing cursing herself silently, but repeatedly, for her mistake. _Cat hair! I mean how stupid do you have to be to mistake that for people hair?_ Well, she had made her mistake, and now she had weeks to reflect on that if Madame Pomfrey's estimate was to be believed.

She pulled her copy of _Hogwarts, A History_ off her bed stand and started to read over the part on the founding of the school. In her heart she knew she wouldn't find a Slytherin genealogy to solve the mystery she was so embroiled in, but she kept rifling through the pages anyway.

No mention of a chamber, no mention of a beast, and only a few words on the infamous Ôfalling out'. But Hermione would not concede graciously that the heart of the mystery could not be found in a book. The biography of Slytherin she had pulled from the library was the next stop, but although it painted a much more colorful picture than _Hogwarts, A History_, it was also silent on the topic of the Chamber.

Not one to waste quality time with a book though, she began to plow through the pieces of the book she had skipped in her quest for answers. She hardly noticed the ward door open, and only became aware of the presence near her bed until Professor Snape spoke.

"Miss Granger,'" his voice still held an edge but was devoid of most of the malice he usually spoke her name with.

Hermione dropped her book quiet carelessly and, realizing that she was still mostly covered in fur, put her hands over her face quickly. She would have blushed furiously too, but her cheeks were obscured in fur.

_One tiny blessing then I suppose_. But that hardly made up for having the only teacher who had shown no appreciation for her hard work see her after such a glorious potions accident. _Did he know? Would he figure it out now?_ Hermione's mind was racing, but the ridiculousness of trying to hide her face quickly became apparent and she lowered her hands slowly. Professor Snape sat waiting for her to acknowledge his presence.

"Professor Snape.'

Snape broke his gaze and looked downward. Hermione wondered if he was trying to make her nervous, or whether he did it without trying. After a few more moments, he looked back up into her, currently quite yellow, eyes.

"Miss Granger, it is generally the policy of Hogwarts to É ignore the sort of magical experimentation that tends to lead to visits to the hospital wing. What would students choose to withstand if they thought the hospital wing visit would come with a reprimand? And certainly no one on the staff would really have been able to determine the severity of the magic you had performed without making a rather intensive inquiry into the matter. But when you are so careless to have stolen a key ingredient from my own private stores, I have to take some sort of action.''

Hermione's eyes had slowly gone wide in panic. The boomslang skin she had stolen was particularly used in changing and camouflaging potions, and Hermione certainly looked like a camouflaging gone bad, he would suspect instantly when he had noticed that the skin was missing.

"Certainly the pursuit of academic knowledge is admirable, but you might want to go about it without stealing from the person most able to discern the cause. Misappropriated cat hair I assume? For Polyjuice?'' Snape was silent, waiting. Hermione considered denying it briefly, but thought better of it, he was here because he knew. She could only nod. "Certainly you would have read the warnings and I can only assume you were not as vigorous as you should have been in making sure the hair was actually that. Polyjuice is actually beyond NEWTs level work, Miss Granger, and misuse of it is punishable by law.''

Hermione clutched her book fearfully, she'd all but admitted to stealing from a Professor _and_ brewing a potion whose use was supposed to be strictly monitored, he would go to get her expelled for sure.

Snape stood up abruptly and Hermione couldn't help but recoil a little in her fear.

"See to it that you don't find your way into my private stores again without my permission. You might also want to not wander around so freely in the restricted section as well,'' He turned to leave, but did not start to stride out. "Consider yourself chastised. And I don't want to hear about this from anyone, most especially Potter and Weasley. I can't have anyone suggesting my favoritism has to do with anything except house.''

He turned back around and Hermione nodded her agreement vigorously. A "Yessir,'' came tumbling out of her mouth almost unbidden. She looked up into his face, he reached into his robes and pulled out a well-worn book and handed it to her. It was a copy of _Moste Potent Potions_.

"Consider it --- not a reward --- consider it to be for being too inquisitive for your own good. I'm sure it's more interesting then your _Hogwarts, A History_, but perhaps not that one,'' He indicated the Slytherin biography, "I will expect all of your homework to be in on time regardless of your condition, no excuses. I'm certainly your experience has given you a unique understanding of the Polyjuice Potion. You will also write me a paper on any one of the other potions in the book, with special attention to misuse of a properly brewed potion. I hope that will keep you from making too big a fool of yourself when you next attempt to brew something not wholly legal.''

Hermione nodded again like an idiot as he swept out of the room. She stared down at the worn potions book and smiled. She opened the cover and let out a gasp at the bookplate proclaiming the book as ÔEx Libris Hermione Granger'. How cool was that? It almost seemed worth the embarrassment. She started to slide it under her pillow when she laughed at herself.

_Just a book Granger, doesn't mean anything_. She slid it under her copy of _Hogwarts, A History_ but her cheeks were still just a little hot, and it had nothing to do with the fact that they were covered in fur.


End file.
